Hi all,
Since the “no more pens and pads” rule has been put into place by PHARMA Guidelines many folks have been speculating on what is going to pass muster as give ways. Walking the exhibit halls at several recent shows including ICCAC in San Francisco, ISDA in Philadelphia, AABB in New Orleans and AASLD in Boston I was curious to see how different companies and organizations were treating the guidelines.
One observation that became quickly apparent is you can readily distinguish between which companies sold prescription drugs and which companies did not. If the companies were not promoting a prescription product they seemed to be carrying on business as usual and pens, pads and a whole array of branded trinkets were being handed out no problem. But, when you were at a booth where prescription drugs were promoted it was apparent that people are still coming to grips with how to proceed in this new environment. Not a pen or pad among them but there was an interesting array of alternative practices.
Beginning at ICAAC I noticed that the coffee / refreshment bars are still being provided and they certainly seem to be doing their job to attract people into the exhibit areas. I silently thanked God that some civility remained in this world and coffee had not been entirely banned. I noticed many companies had a small discrete but clearly visible sign that displayed the message if you are from Vermont, Massachusetts (and sometimes a third state that seemed to vary but New Hampshire and even California were often added to the sign) we …….
Insert one of several variations including
…. ask you not to partake of our refreshments as it is a violation of your state laws
… must inform you it may be in conflict of your state laws etc, etc
You get the idea but they generally politely fulfilled their obligation of making people aware of the laws they were complying with today.
But I did find that a few had managed to come up with a giveaway that had at least some perceived relevance. I collected a number of CDs that had animated mechanism of action videos. Schering was one I received at ICAAC that I thought was very well done and would be useful in educating medical team members and even patient and consumer groups. Pfizer was offering what they claimed to be very nice disease state photo collections and slide decks. They were nicely packaged and while they were what they claimed to be, they really were lacking in substance that I thought would be useful if I were a practitioner looking for a quick source of materials to put together for a balanced clinical presentation. The slides were of excellent quality on the Pathogen disk. But there were only 4 images, in several formats. Still they at least accomplished the goal of putting the Pfizer brand on a promotional piece that had just enough utility that it would survive the trip back from the meeting and into a place on the shelf or desk where it will be seen and recognized for years to come. Mission accomplished Pfizer!
All in all I think I was impressed with what several companies did to come up with as an item that will outlive the show and make it back to where it will be a subliminal reminder of a corporate commitment for years to come. Face it, most of us never get rid of our reference sources no matter how little the contribution or outdated the material. My perfect example that is despite having a current edition of all the reference texts I use in my work I still have shelves of outdated materials that I just can’t seem to part with yet. This includes a 1970 Human Blood Cell Morphology Chart put out by Abbott Laboratories back when the stem cell was still just a theory! Nostalgia, I hear it can be treated with intervention. I should possibly consider this. But promotions do live on, occasionally in infamy.
But when I got to AASLD I found there was a whole different way of handling the Pharma Guideline. Welcome to what I call “ Apartheid 2.0 - The Pharmaceutical Solution”. As I strolled the exhibits I walked into one booth that had lots of traffic going on inside its cleverly arranged stylish walls that were decorative on the outside but did not readily reveal anything about the company or give a clue as to what was going on inside that booth. I was greeted by a smiling representative standing between me and what was I judged by the contented and happy chatter carrying on behind her was a very amicable group of people being happily engaged in some sort of fun activity. She looked at me, smiled and said, I am sorry but this is only for non-U.S. attendees. She waved her arm to point to an empty booth down the corridor being manned by one rather bored woman sitting on a stool and playing with her Blackberry. She told me that was for the U.S. attendees.
As I walked away curious as to what was going on behind that wall that I was not privy to I knew one thing, I did not care if they were giving away coffee, massages or even a high colonic but I instinctively knew I had just been given the bum’s rush and I had no intention of stopping to visit with bored Miss Blackberry reader no matter what they were promoting. Note to companies taking this approach …… hello, do you not know a snub when you deliver one? I bet you recognize it when you receive one. Think about it, do you ever forget it. I know I don’t.
I did not go to AHA in Orlando but I just saw this one. Pfizer, I thought you were on the high road with those slide decks and educational material. They were at least something that had a chance to add a little value but come on now, how did you ever make the leap from “ Pens are bad” to “Poster size Photo of the Doctor is good”? Somehow the logic escapes me.
Stay tuned to see what the next show season of post new PHARMA regulations delivers.
Since the “no more pens and pads” rule has been put into place by PHARMA Guidelines many folks have been speculating on what is going to pass muster as give ways. Walking the exhibit halls at several recent shows including ICCAC in San Francisco, ISDA in Philadelphia, AABB in New Orleans and AASLD in Boston I was curious to see how different companies and organizations were treating the guidelines.
One observation that became quickly apparent is you can readily distinguish between which companies sold prescription drugs and which companies did not. If the companies were not promoting a prescription product they seemed to be carrying on business as usual and pens, pads and a whole array of branded trinkets were being handed out no problem. But, when you were at a booth where prescription drugs were promoted it was apparent that people are still coming to grips with how to proceed in this new environment. Not a pen or pad among them but there was an interesting array of alternative practices.
Beginning at ICAAC I noticed that the coffee / refreshment bars are still being provided and they certainly seem to be doing their job to attract people into the exhibit areas. I silently thanked God that some civility remained in this world and coffee had not been entirely banned. I noticed many companies had a small discrete but clearly visible sign that displayed the message if you are from Vermont, Massachusetts (and sometimes a third state that seemed to vary but New Hampshire and even California were often added to the sign) we …….
Insert one of several variations including
…. ask you not to partake of our refreshments as it is a violation of your state laws
… must inform you it may be in conflict of your state laws etc, etc
You get the idea but they generally politely fulfilled their obligation of making people aware of the laws they were complying with today.
But I did find that a few had managed to come up with a giveaway that had at least some perceived relevance. I collected a number of CDs that had animated mechanism of action videos. Schering was one I received at ICAAC that I thought was very well done and would be useful in educating medical team members and even patient and consumer groups. Pfizer was offering what they claimed to be very nice disease state photo collections and slide decks. They were nicely packaged and while they were what they claimed to be, they really were lacking in substance that I thought would be useful if I were a practitioner looking for a quick source of materials to put together for a balanced clinical presentation. The slides were of excellent quality on the Pathogen disk. But there were only 4 images, in several formats. Still they at least accomplished the goal of putting the Pfizer brand on a promotional piece that had just enough utility that it would survive the trip back from the meeting and into a place on the shelf or desk where it will be seen and recognized for years to come. Mission accomplished Pfizer!
All in all I think I was impressed with what several companies did to come up with as an item that will outlive the show and make it back to where it will be a subliminal reminder of a corporate commitment for years to come. Face it, most of us never get rid of our reference sources no matter how little the contribution or outdated the material. My perfect example that is despite having a current edition of all the reference texts I use in my work I still have shelves of outdated materials that I just can’t seem to part with yet. This includes a 1970 Human Blood Cell Morphology Chart put out by Abbott Laboratories back when the stem cell was still just a theory! Nostalgia, I hear it can be treated with intervention. I should possibly consider this. But promotions do live on, occasionally in infamy.
But when I got to AASLD I found there was a whole different way of handling the Pharma Guideline. Welcome to what I call “ Apartheid 2.0 - The Pharmaceutical Solution”. As I strolled the exhibits I walked into one booth that had lots of traffic going on inside its cleverly arranged stylish walls that were decorative on the outside but did not readily reveal anything about the company or give a clue as to what was going on inside that booth. I was greeted by a smiling representative standing between me and what was I judged by the contented and happy chatter carrying on behind her was a very amicable group of people being happily engaged in some sort of fun activity. She looked at me, smiled and said, I am sorry but this is only for non-U.S. attendees. She waved her arm to point to an empty booth down the corridor being manned by one rather bored woman sitting on a stool and playing with her Blackberry. She told me that was for the U.S. attendees.
As I walked away curious as to what was going on behind that wall that I was not privy to I knew one thing, I did not care if they were giving away coffee, massages or even a high colonic but I instinctively knew I had just been given the bum’s rush and I had no intention of stopping to visit with bored Miss Blackberry reader no matter what they were promoting. Note to companies taking this approach …… hello, do you not know a snub when you deliver one? I bet you recognize it when you receive one. Think about it, do you ever forget it. I know I don’t.
I did not go to AHA in Orlando but I just saw this one. Pfizer, I thought you were on the high road with those slide decks and educational material. They were at least something that had a chance to add a little value but come on now, how did you ever make the leap from “ Pens are bad” to “Poster size Photo of the Doctor is good”? Somehow the logic escapes me.
Stay tuned to see what the next show season of post new PHARMA regulations delivers.
Any questions or comments about guidelines or my comments, send me an email at L.Lynam@theLynamGroup.com or visit my website at http://www.thelynamgroup.com/. The Lynam Group - where Comprehensive Biotech Consulting Services begin.
